What it's like to live in Wells

Somerset leans heavily towards home ownership. Across the council area 67.4% of homes are owned and 17.7% are privately rented, while social renting accounts for 13.7%, split between 5% council and 8.7% housing association. That is below the England figure of 17.1%, so social homes are a smaller slice of the market here than in many places.

Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were about £94 for a one bed, £109 for two beds and £120 for three beds. The largest social landlords are Somerset Council with 9,682 homes, Abri Group with 9,637, LiveWest with 5,264, Aster Communities with 4,407 and Magna Housing with 2,565.

The age profile skews older: 24.8% of residents in the council area are 65 or over, against 18.4% in England, while under-16s make up 16.8%. Somerset's housing register held 12,473 households at the end of March 2025, with 1,959 lettings and 150 mutual exchanges during 2024-25. A register is not a simple queue, which is why many tenants look at swapping.

For a city of this size, Wells is well served for schools. Primary options within easy reach include St Joseph and St Teresa Catholic Primary School, Stoberry Park School, St Cuthbert's CofE Junior School and St Cuthbert's Church of England Academy Infants and Pre-School, all under a mile from the centre, plus Horrington Primary School about two miles out. St Cuthbert's infants site also takes pre-school children.

At secondary level The Blue School is roughly a third of a mile away, and Wells Cathedral School is close by too. Having both within walking distance of much of the city means the teenage school run is often no run at all. Always check catchment and admissions with the council before you plan a move.

Wells Library is in the centre, handy for homework, story sessions and free internet. Wells Film Centre gives families an easy night out, and Wookey Hole's 4D cinema is a short drive. Village halls at Wookey Hole, Dinder, Coxley and Croscombe host the kind of local groups and parties that small communities run on.

Wells has no railway station, so buses and roads do most of the work. Wells Bus Station sits about a quarter of a mile from the centre and is the hub for services across Somerset and towards Bristol and Bath, which is useful if you do not drive. Check timings for your own journey before you commit, as rural evening and Sunday services are usually thinner than weekday ones.

By car, the A39 and A371 link Wells to Glastonbury, Street, Cheddar and Shepton Mallet, with Bristol and Bath both reachable for work or family visits. Parking in the old centre is limited in places, as you would expect from narrow historic streets.

Walking is the real strength. Schools, the library, the health centre, the cinema and five supermarkets all sit within roughly half a mile of the middle of the city, so many households manage the weekly routine on foot. Footpaths head out towards the Mendips and nearby villages if you want longer walks. For train travel you will need to drive or bus to a station elsewhere.

Wells punches above its weight for a place of 11,000 people. The Wells Film Centre is in the middle of the city, and the pubs give you plenty of choice on a short walk: The King's Head, The Globe, The City Arms, the White Hart Hotel and The Sun Inn are all within a few minutes of each other. The library adds free, dry-day entertainment.

The outdoors is the main draw. The Mendip Hills sit on the doorstep for walking, and the Somerset Levels stretch out to the south. Wookey Hole, with its caves and 4D cinema, is under two miles away and a reliable half-day out with children.

For organised exercise there is a Pilates Studio near the centre, though the gym choice is modest for a city this size. Community life leans on the village halls round about, at Wookey Hole, Dinder, Coxley and Croscombe, which is where many of the clubs, markets and fundraisers happen.

Across the Somerset council area, 56.6% of adults are in work, just under the England figure of 57.4%. Unemployment is lower than average at 2.3%, against 3.5% nationally, and benefit claims tied to unemployment stood at 2.6% of working-age people in August 2026 compared with 4% in England. So work is being found, but Somerset's job market is spread thinly across a rural county.

In Wells itself, employment tends to centre on the things you can see: schools, shops and supermarkets, health services at Priory Health Park and Wells Health Centre, hospitality in the pubs and hotels, and visitor-related work around the cathedral city and Wookey Hole.

Many households widen the net by travelling. Bristol and Bath are within driving distance for better-paid or more specialised roles, and Glastonbury, Street and Shepton Mallet are closer options. If you rely on buses, map your likely commute carefully before accepting a swap, because rural timetables can shape which jobs are realistic.